US Democrats in turmoil following dumped e-mails. Is there a Russian connection?

Late Friday, WikiLeaks published 20,000 internal e-mails from the Democratic National Committee acquired in a hacking attack last month. The dumped messages, including some that had a derisive tone toward primary candidate Bernie Sanders, roiled the Democratic Party on the eve of its convention and led to the resignation yesterday of DNC chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

"I don't think it's coincidental that these e-mails were released on the eve of our convention here, and I think that's disturbing," Mook told program host Jake Tapper. The leak took place just after the Republican Party changed its platform "to make it more pro-Russian," Mook added.

E-mails lead to resignation

Once WikiLeaks published the DNC e-mails on Friday, journalists around the country combed through its searchable database. Several e-mails had a tone suggesting that DNC officials preferred Clinton over her primary opponent, Bernie Sanders. The DNC and Sanders had a testy relationship throughout the primary season, and at one point Sanders' team even filed a lawsuit against the organization, although it was quickly resolved.

Still, the e-mails were inflammatory enough to reignite debates that many thought were laid to rest in the primaries.

An e-mail from the organization's CFO, Brad Marshall, has been read to suggest that Sanders should be questioned about his religion or lack thereof. "It might may [sic] no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief," wrote Marshall. "Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist."

Marshall has said the e-mail wasn't about Sanders, but he hasn't explained who it does refer to. Either way, there's no evidence that Marshall's suggestion was ever followed up on.

Other DNC e-mails refer to Sanders and his supporters in derogatory terms, including DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz calling the candidate a "damn liar." However, those e-mails are direct responses to Sanders' team lobbing accusations at the DNC, following a fracas during the Nevada caucuses. Other messages from late in the primary season include DNC staffers wishing Sanders would drop out and discussions of how to craft a "narrative" about why Sanders lost. Some e-mails simply highlight the shallow and ugly elements of campaigning, like behind-the-scenes fights over who gets what seat at a fundraiser.

Several of the most eye-catching e-mail threads are highlighted in a Washington Postlist of the "most damaging" e-mails. However, there's no "smoking gun" e-mail that shows any DNC staffer clearly favoring Sanders in the primary. Most of the negative statements are in the context of known conflicts between the DNC and the Sanders campaign.

Despite that, DNC head Wasserman Schultz resigned yesterday. Sanders had called for her resignation and put out a statement saying she made the "right decision for the future of the Democratic Party."

For his part, Trump sent out a series of weekend tweets suggesting that Sanders supporters should come to his side. When Sanders reiterated his support for Clinton, Trump called him "a weak and somewhat pathetic figure."

The leaked e-mails don't appear to have made a major change in the calculus of the election at this point. But they took over a news cycle in which Democrats were hoping to keep the focus on their upcoming convention. While Sanders, who is speaking at the convention, has said he'll continue to be dedicated to supporting Clinton, it's still not clear how many of his supporters will refuse to come to her side at the convention or at the polls.

In any case, this weekend's events show the most serious consequences yet of political hacking in 2016. The e-mail dump has led to a significant leadership change in one of the political parties, and it could potentially have consequences for the convention that begins tonight. Meanwhile, accusations about Russian involvement are front-and-center. Yesterday, Defense One published a widely read piece suggesting that Putin has successfully "weaponized" WikiLeaks in order to influence the US election.